The State will bring out a revised and comprehensive list of COVID deaths, in accordance with the new Central guidelines, on the definition of or what constitutes a COVID death, Health Minister Veena George has said.
The State guidelines on COVID death is being revised and the new guidelines will be finalised and published within a few days.
It will take into account the new clarification provided by the Centre that even if a patient was COVID-negative at the time of death, it would be treated as death due to COVID if it has happened within 30 days of the patient testing positive for COVID.
The new list of COVID deaths which occurred in the State would be comprehensive and would not leave out any deaths related to COVID, Ms. George told media persons here on Thursday, while visiting the new ICUs being opened at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital (MCH).
The Health Department has decided to conduct an inquiry into COVID deaths that took place in the State and will take necessary steps to resolve any anomalies in reporting. Steps have been taken to receive all complaints on non-inclusion of deaths due to COVID in the State’s official list of deaths.
The government had no intention to deny compensation to any family which had lost a member to COVID and would facilitate the inclusion of all COVID-related deaths in the revised list, Ms. George said.
She said that disease transmission was reducing in the State and the proportion of the vaccinated had been climbing steadily. However, people should not let down their guard and violate protocols as even the fully vaccinated could get the infection and transmit it. Over one crore persons had been fully vaccinated, while 90% of those eligible for vaccination had been covered by the first dose
Ms. George went around the two new ICUs set up at the MCH, in anticipation of the third wave. The 100 ICU beds have been set up using ₹5.5 crore. In the first phase 17 ventilators would be arranged and more would be set up in phases.
